Improved method of utilizing exhaust-steam



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TREAT T. Pnossnn,

OF FOND DU LAO, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND M. C. AND K. A. DARLING.

liVlPROVED METHOD OF UTILIZING EXHAUST-STEAM.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,083, dated September 2'2, 1863.

.'Z'o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TREAT I. PnossER, of the town and county of Fond du Lac, in the State of Visconsin, have invented a certain new and improved method of applying the exhaust-steam of steam-engines to the boiler or boilers for the purpose of utilizing the same instead of allowingit to escape as heretofore; and 1 do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The :nature of my invention consists in applying the exhauststeam from the engine to the boiler or boilers under a pressure capable of being regulated7 for the purpose of utilizing the heat of the exhaust-steam in the production of steam in the boiler or boilers, thus saving and reusing a large portion of the heat that has heretofore been allowed to escape nselessly with the exhauststeam.

To enable others skilled in the art to apply and use my invention, I will proceed to give a full and exact description thereof.

As my invention is capable of application to almost every form of steam-boiler, I have deemed it proper to exhibit drawings and descriptions of such application to several kinds of boilers, being generally such as are best known and in most common use. Of course I do not confine my improvement to these alone, and only show them for the purpose of more clearly elucidating the principle of my invention.

Figures A, B, C, and l) exhibit my improvementas applied to an ordinarylocomotive-boiler. It will be seen in Figs. A, B, and O that I surround the whole boiler, except at the front end, with ajacket, which forms, wil h the body ot' the boiler, a chamber, a a a. It will also be seen in Fig. A that a certain number of tubes in the lower part of the boiler are cut off from the lire-box, and made to terminate in a chamber, b, which communicates freely with the chamber a. The other end of these tubes communicates, as usual, with the smoke-box; but instead of allowing this portion of the smokebox to communicate, as heretofore, freely with the stack or chimney, I interpose a diaphragm entirely across it, as seen at c @'Figs A and D. This arrangement forms a chamber, d, whose only outlet toward the stack or chimney is through the opening e, Figs. A and D, which is closed by the weight ed or otherwise regulated valve ff of the same figures.

Heretofore it has been usual to allow the steam from the cylinder to be exhausted either into the chimney or a pipe especially adapted to the purpose, and thence into the atmosphere, carrying with it all the latent and sensible heat that had been left after the performance of its functions in the cylinder, except in condensing-engines, and when some small portion of the heat is abstracted in heating the feed-Water, &c. My invention differs entirely from all these, as I will proceed to show by a description of the operation.

Pipe g of Fig.A connects with the exhaustpipe of the cylinder and with the chamber a, which, as before stated, surrounds the boiler. The exhaust steam therefore passes through this pipe into chamber @,filling it completely, and thence into chamber b, with which it freely connects. From chamber b the steam passes into and through the steam-pipes in the lower portion of the boiler, which have been cut od' from the fire-box, and from them into the chamber `d in the lower portion ot' the smoke box. As there is no means of escape of the steam from the chamber except through the opening e in the diaphragm c, this enables me, by the application of a valve,f, to regulate the pressure of the steam in and around the boiler at any point below that at which it escapes from the cylinder, and thus retain it at a temperature and for a time that will allow it to give off a large portion of its latent and Vsensible heat to the water in the boiler. V

I have found by experiment, and I think all practical engineers will conrmit, that the lower tubes in a locomotiveboiler have but little effect in heating the Water in the boiler, and that the temperature of the water in this part, from this and other causes, is constantly below that in the upper part. One ofthe objects I have in view, therefore, in my improvement is to impart heat to this part of the boiler from the exhauststeam, thus equalizing more nearly the temperature ot' the whole contents of the boiler, and facilitating to that extent the generator of the steam by the boiler. Anotherobject gained by this arrangement is the prevention of radiation from the boiler itself, and another not less important result is that just as I increase the pressure upon the outside of the boiler in the same ratio I can safely increase the pressure within, thereby enabling me to maintain the required pressure upon the piston, notwithstanding the back-pressure from the exhaust-steam. This enables me to work my steam at a higher pressure than in boilers of ordinary construction, and this, by the well-known laws ot' steam, enables me also to generate the agent at a much less expenditure ot' fuel than is required in working low steam, and the high steam thus obtained will give oft' its heat with more facility to the water in the boiler, when exhaustedv into the chamber and tubes under pressure,

than if merely used as exhaust-steam at atmospheric pressure.

Having thus stated the princi ples or nature ot' my invention, l will proceed to give a more detailed.description ot' its application to various forms ot' boilers.

Figure A is a longitudinal vertical section of an ordinary locomotive-boiler with my improvements applied'thereto. Fig. B is a vertical transverse section through .the tire-box along line a' y, showing the jacket andthe exhaust-steam space a. Fig. U is a vertical transverse section through line n o, showing. the jacket and exhaust-steam space a around.

the body of the boiler. Fig. D is a vertical -transverse section through line p q, showing the exhaust-steam chamber d, the diaphragm c, the opening e, the valve f, and smoke-box above. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the sections shown in Figs. A, B, C, and D.

As a practical explanation of my improvemenu-let us suppose the steam as generated in the boiler and supplied to the cylinder under a pressure of two hundred pounds to. the square inch, and that the valve f in the exhaust-chamber is weighted with af pressure equal to fty pounds to the square inch. It is evident, then, that though by the back pressure the etticient power of the steam upon the piston will be reduced to one hundred and flfty pounds, the exhaust-steam will carry with it into the exhaust chamber and tubes a temperature equal to its pressure to be given up to the water in the boiler, and as a counter pressure against that of the steam in the boiler. Under these circumstances a reduction of temperature, and consequentl condensation, 'will be constantly going on in the eXh einst-chamber, and it' the pressure in the exhaust-chamber should at any time exceed lifty pounds it will blow oft' through the pipe c by lifting the valve f.

Fig. 2, with its cross-section, Fig. 23, through line a, z Fig. 4, with its crosssection, Fig. 5, through a or, and cross-section, Fig. 6, through b y; Fig. 8, with its cross-section, Fig. 9, through a fw Fig 10, withits cross-section, Fig. 11, through cr, cross-section, Fig. 12, through a u, and cross-section, Fig. 13, through a t Fig. 18, with its cross-section, Fig. 19, through a s Fig. 20, with its cross-section, Fig. 15,

` smokebox.

through ar, and its cross-section, Fig. 16, through a q Fig. 22,with its cross-section, Fig. 23, through ap Fig. 2t, with its crosssection, Fig. 25, through a o Fig. 27, with its cross-section, Fig. 28, through a n, and crosssection, Fig. 32, through a m its cross-section, Fig. 30, through a l Fig. 33, with its cross-section, Fig. 31, through c 7c Fig. 34, with its cross-section, Fig. 35, through a t', and Fig. 36 are modifications ofthe application of my invention to locomotive-engines with or without pressure upon the exhauststeam.

Fig. 7, with a jacket, as represented in Fig. 9, has a peculiarity of construction which it is necessary to describe, as it gives great facility for altering locomotive-boilers already constructed and applying my improvement thereto. In making this alteration, after a sufficient number ot the lower tubes are taken out, I insert a chamber, 7s, near the fire-box, constructed with apertures on each side corresponding to the apertures in the flue-sheet, from 'which the tubes have been withdrawn. The side next to the tire-box is attached thereto, as shown in Fig. 7, by screws or bolts, or otherwise, so as to close np completely the orifice in the tube-sheet and t'orm a stay. The tubes, having been cut to the proper length, are screwed or otherwise secured int-o vthe other side of the chamber. This then opens a free passage from the chamber into the smokebox, in which the other end of the tube, terminate as formerly. I sometimes divide this chamber by a horizontal diaphragm, h, and then cause the exhaust-steam to enter through an orifice, g, into the lower chamber, from whence it passes by the lower tubes into the chamber just described in the rear of the tirebox, and thence through the upper tubes into the upper chamber, ns indicated by the arrows. Fig. 2l is a modication of this arrangement, with the same chamber near the tirebox, but without a jacket and by introducing the exhaust-steam through. the bottom ot' the boiler into the chamber, from whence it passes through the tubes to the chamber in the Fig. 26 is another modification of this arrangement.

The figures from 37 to 49, inclusive, show various moditications of the improvement adapted to boilers in most common use. Figs. 37, 3S, and 39 are views of the ordinary cylinder-tlue boilers used for high-pressure engines. Fig. 37 shows two boilers for conjoint use, under one of which a iire is applied, as usual in this form of boiler, and the other is surrounded by a jacket, forming a chamber with the shell of the boiler, into which chamber the exhaust-steam is to be injected, fromwhence it passes into and through the returnfines. This form ot' double boiler has been found to be much superior in efficiency from the same amount of fuel to a single boiler. Sometimes I cause small additional fines to be added to the usual double return-fines, as seen in Fig. 38, which, by increasing the heat- Fig. 29, with ing-surface, thus increase the capacity of the boiler or boilers for generating steam. When a less amount of power is required, I have found the modification represented in Fig. 39 very advantageous. In this arrangement a fire-box is introduced int the shell of the boiler, as seen at a, somewhat after the manner of the Well-known Cornish boiler, returning the products of combustion through the tubes on each side of the main central and direct tubes and introducing the exhauststeam, as usual, into the chamber between the jacket and the shell of the boiler, from whence it passes throughthe lower smaller tubes within the boiler.

It will be seen in Fig. 37 that the two boilers are united by a connecting steam-pipe, b. while in Fig. 3S each boiler has its own and independent pipe. The first is intended to show an instance in which the steam from both boilers is to be used in one engine, in the other the steam from each boiler may be used separately to supply separate engines, or other purposes, and in the latter instance the exhaust-steam from the engine attached to the first boiler or the one with the fire-chamber is used to generate steam in the other and the exhaust-steam, its engine may again be used under a third boiler, and so on, or be applied again to aid in the generating of steam in itself. By using steam under this exalted pressure and temperature the heating-surface to which it is to be applied will be much less than would be required at the ordinary temperature or under atmospheric pressure.

Having thus fully set forth the nature f my invention, what I claim therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. Applying the exhaust-steam ot' a steamengine under pressure greater than that of the atmosphere to a boiler or boilers, or any part thereof, whether the boiler or boilers be used separately or in combination with other boiler or boilers, either exclusively for the purposeof generating steam in the boiler or boilers, or for aiding the lire to generate it.

2. The valve f, or it equivalent, in combination with the diaphragm c and exhaust-steam tubes or i'lues, with or Without a steam-chamber around the boiler for regulating the pressure to be given the exhaust-steam.

3. The chamber K, Fig. 7 and 2l and crosssection Fig. 14, constructed and arranged in the nianner and for the purpose set forth.

T. T, PROSSER.

Witnesses:

H. KING, GILBERT B. ToWLEs. 

